Not Listening
by Kanan
Summary: She knew it was a lie. She knew it, but lied to herself and everyone else for so long. She almost believed the lie, herself. She knew she loved Naruto, but she couldn’t reveal that until time ran out. Will she finally reveal her secret before it’s too lat
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: In no way or form do I own the series Naruto. However, I want to make it very clear that you need to ask my permission to snuggle them, for I said so! Muahahaha….!

Fire Resistant; OR, Not Listening

It was just another one of those days. The long days that never seem to come to an end. And when it finally does, you lie awake feeling as if nothing was different; as if it was still light out and he was still right there standing beside you, begging for your attention. But you turn away to hide your blush. Instead, you focus your attention on another. It hurts him, your admirer, and you know it. What he doesn't know is that it hurts you, too.

You ignore him day after day, and you seem to lock away your true self with every hurtful comment. You hurt yourself more than him. He, being his usual self, will eventually brush it off and pretend as if nothing had ever happened; as if he hadn't been ignored or yelled at. When he does this, you feel your heart sinking faster and deeper within you. You know you should let it out. Confide in someone, but who could you go to? Surely not another ninja. They would laugh and point fingers. To be in love with someone the entire village shuns, you would only be shunned, yourself.

You became lost a long time ago. When you first laid eyes on him. When you first felt the painful feeling of love. Eventually, it had to come to an end. You put it off as long as you could, and it was killing you. You had to tell someone; someone you could trust with your secret. Not Sasuke, for he would laugh, and so, you could see only one option left open to you.

-Knock- -Knock-

"Kakashi-sensei?"


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2- Confronting the matter

Sakura awoke earlier the next morning, even though she knew how unnecessary it was. Her teacher always showed up late on the days they had a meet or a mission, and she could talk to him then, but she didn't want to risk bringing it up and have the others find out. So, in the early morning, she got away from her apartment and now stood in front of her sensei's office.

'I wonder if he's even here…'

She considered walking away right then, but something willed her hand to raise and knock softly on the door. She heard rustling from inside and a moment later, Kakashi-sensei opened the door and greeted her.

"K-Kakashi-sensei…"

"Good morning, Sakura. Please, come in."

She followed him inside and closed the door behind her. The man's office was remarkably clean and everything there was related to Ninja. Headbands, awards, plaques, photographs. All was normal, except the row of comic-like books on the top shelf in the corner. As Sakura looked around the spacious office, Kakashi once again sat down at his desk writing a report. Sakura was then broken out of her thoughts on the man's office as he spoke to her in a calm tone, not once looking up from his paperwork.

"You're up very early this morning, Sakura. Did you eat breakfast yet?"

The girl's stomach growled loudly at the mention of food and she blushed, shaking her head. Kakashi softly set his pen down and reached out to grab a cup of ramen strait out of the microwave. It was as if he had been expecting her the entire time. After he saw that it was cool, he handed it and a pair of chop sticks to Sakura. The young girl took them gratefully and started eating.

"Like I said, it's very strange that you're up and about this early in the morning."

"I could say the same for you, sensei."

"What do you mean? I'm always up this early."

"Then why does it take so long for you to get to the meeting point!"

Kakashi looked at her in his calm, cool way and she finally calmed down and went back to her soup. After a moment, Kakashi sighed and looked away.

"Patience."

"What?"

"If you really want to be a ninja, you must learn to be patient, both with your comrades and with your enemies. I would have though that would have gone through by now…"

"However…"

"Hm?"

"If you didn't make up excuses everyday, we wouldn't get the wrong idea."

"Very true. I'm glad one of you is learning something. Now, what is it you wanted to speak to me about?"  
"Well… there has been something on my mind recently."

"And?"  
"And, it has been bothering me a lot."

"Who is it? A member of your team?"

"Huh? Um, well, sort of?"  
"I see. It's Naruto, then. He's finally driving you over the edge?"

"What? No, I-"

"He's gotten so under your skin that you can no longer stand to be around him…"

"NO!"

Sakura rose from her seat in a rage, of sorts. Her breath came in shallow gasps and her face was glowing a light shade of pink. Kakashi smiled and motioned for her to sit again.

"That was just a test; no reason to get bent out of shape. Now, explain what it is that bothers you, exactly."

Sakura paused a moment, trying to find the right words. When none came to her, she just started spouting out words.

"I get this feeling deep inside of me, sometimes."

"What kind of feeling?"

"Well, it's hard to-"

"Just describe the feeling."  
"I feel all tense and my head spins. My face grows really hot and I feel like I am going to pass out. But then,"

"Then?"  
"Then I get all mad for some reason and I feel like hitting him."

Kakashi's questions came faster, and Sakura tried to keep up with her answers. Though it didn't seem as such, Kakashi was hearing and analyzing each and every response he got, in order to figure out the problem. Finally, he made his last question quick.

"Do you love Naruto?"

"Yes-"

Kakashi's eyes went almost wide. Maybe the question was a bit too fast for her. As soon as she realized what she had spoken out, she slapped her hands over her mouth and hid her glowing face from her sensei. She was mumbling her apologies through her hand, but then, the man started to laugh. Confused, Sakura lifted her head.

"What's so funny?"

"You, acting like there is a problem here!"

"But, there IS a problem! I love Sasuke, not that loudmouth Naruto!"

"Sakura…"

Kakashi leaned foreward in his chair and set his hand on top of Sakura's shoulder.

"Listen, the only problem here is that you don't want to admit what is true in your heart."

"But… I love Sasuke… I love him…"

Tears started to well up behind her eyes, and they fell down her cheeks in rivers. Kakashi wiped them away with his thumb as she sniffled.

"Just admit it. You don't love Sasuke. You love Naruto Uzumaki… Go on. You can say it."

"I…"

Sakura tried, she really did, but the more she thought about it, the more the tears came down. Kakashi finally smiled at her and released her face. He patted her on the head and led her to the door. She was wiping her eyes and Kakashi was still smiling.

"Just think about what I said, okay? Don't try to push yourself too quickly, but don't give up quite yet."

"Alright…"

"Mm? Oh, it's Sakura!"

Both at the door looked over and saw Sasuke and Naruto walking up. Naruto was waving his hand around happily, as always, and this only made the ache in Sakura's heart worse. She wasn't ready to face it all yet. She turned on her heel and ran the other way. Both boys were alarmed and worried, and Sasuke ran after his female companion, calling her name. Naruto started off that way, too, but was caught by the shirt collar by Kakashi.

"Naruto?"

At first, the look on his face was serious, but then turned to a serious kind of happy.

"I have some ramen I don't intend to eat. Would you mind taking care of it for me?"

"WOULD I! Thanks, Kakashi-sensei!"

Meanwhile, Sakura was running, and Sasuke, too. He left the building and didn't see her right away. Sasuke wandered around a bit, until he saw her sitting on a bench. She was crying her eyes out. He slowly approached her, making no sound as he came to stand, then kneel right in front of her. She still hadn't noticed her until he softly called her name. She jumped slightly and then looked at him. He was kneeling right in front of her, the boy she thought she… no, convinced herself that she was in love with. And yet, as he was so close, she could not feel anything. She just sat there, staring at him and crying. Sasuke reached out and held her hand tightly. Still, she felt nothing like what she had imagined. Then, as she looked into his worried face, she saw someone else. Naruto, smiling at her. This, she could not handle, and she broke out into tears again. Sasuke then leaned closer and hugged her gently, having gotten used to such things as hugs with prolonged exposure to the girl- and every other girl in the ninja academy. She returned the hug, but kept crying.

'The man I love is here hugging me, holding me in his arms, but it just isn't enough…!'


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3: Adjusting to the truth

After Sakura had mostly calmed down, her and Sasuke walked to the bridge where team 7 usually met. But Sakura was still slightly upset and relied on Sasuke for comfort. He stood behind her in a hug, speaking to her softly.

"Sakura, I'm starting to worry about you. You've become far more distant and unpredictable lately. What is wrong with you?"

"…"

"Sakura?"

"You smell nice… like lavenders…"

"W-what…?"

"But still… not like I thought they would smell…"

"What are you talking about?"

Sakura finally smiled. She moved away from Sasuke and started acting like her usual self again.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it, Sasuke. It's just me being weird and babbling pointless babble!"

"All right… if you say you're okay."

Then, they heard Kakashi-sensei and Naruto come across the bridge and Sakura stepped even further away from Sasuke and lowered her head. When the two finally reached them, Naruto had this big, curious look on his face. He stared at Sasuke for a moment, until the other got flustered and looked away.

"What are you staring at me for?"

"Hmph. What were you and Sakura doing just now?"

"That's none of your business."

"It is TOO my business, so tell me!"

"Fat chance."

"Rrrrrrr!"

Naruto was waving an accusing finger at Sasuke and the boy was ignoring him. Sakura, though, was staring at this in silence.

'Is he… could Naruto be jealous of Sasuke…?'

"Naruto!"

Naruto flinched at the harsh sound of Kakashi's voice, and cowered next to him, trying to hide from his glare.

"What they were doing is in the past and it isn't your business, nor your right to pry into their personal lives."

"W-what! Personal lives? What does that mean?"

Kakashi turned back to the two.

"I'm glad to see that you two are starting to pull together as a team. Kissed and made up, did you?"

At this, Sasuke nearly fell over, Sakura exclaimed, and Naruto paled and went stiff for a moment. After he recovered, he was up in Kakashi's face, questioning his statement. When he received only a smirk from his sensei, he moved to Sakura with big, watery eyes.

"You two didn't kiss, did you! Sakura, tell me it isn't true! Tell me you didn't kiss Sasuke!"

Sakura gave a sympathetic look for an instant, but it then turned into a burning rage. A vein appeared on her head and she glared at Naruto. She yelled at him, making his small form wave around comically as she shouted.

"That is none of your business, Naruto, you nosy, dumb, … dummyhead!"

"Ow… my poor ears…!"

Naruto fell over as Sakura calmed down and Kakashi clapped his hands. Sakura, seeing Naruto whining, got angry again and got up in Sasuke's face, and said something that even surprised Kakashi.

"Sasuke, I want you to beat up Naruto for me!"

"What?"

Surprised as he was, Kakashi was also intrigued. He clapped his hands together again and got the attention of all three chunins. He then pointed at the boys.

"Why not we test the boy's skills? A survival match."

"A…survival match? What's that?"

"It's where two people go head to head and use their techniques to destroy the other ninja."

"D-destroy…!"

"It's a ninja term, done. It means you have to either put him in a position where he cannot attack you without getting eliminated, yourself; a draw, in other words. Or you could knock your opponent unconscious."

"Hmph. Mr. Smarty pants, Sasuke… thinks he knows everything…"

"Well boys? Are you up to the challenge?"

"Sounds interesting. I'm in."

"Yeah, me, too! I'll prove I'm just as good as Sasuke is!"

"Um, Kakashi-sensei…?"

Kakashi had the boys face eachother from a certain distance apart. He and Sakura waited a ways away- hopefully at a safe distance. Kakashi raised his hand into the air.

"Very well. Naruto, I want you to eliminate Sasuke."

"With pleasure!"

"And Sasuke, I want you to eliminate Naruto."

"Piece of cake."

"You are allowed to use any technique you wish, but don't kill your opponent."

The boys prepared and then Kakashi lowered his hand.

"Begin!"

Naruto was the first to run out onto the field. He charged at Sasuke with only his fists and tried to punch him. Sasuke leapt over Naruto's short head and got behind him. He took out his kunai knife and swiped at Naruto. The latter jumped back to avoid the blade. Before Naruto's feet were set firmly on the ground, Sasuke threw his kunai knife at him. It hit him, but then, in a flash of smoke, it was revealed as a log. Replacement jutsu. Sasuke hadn't enough time to react as he was soon surrounded and tackled by a dozen Naruto clones. But, they were weak and he threw them off. He slashed at each of them, and they vanished. The problem was, the original was nowhere to be seen. Sasuke wandered about, and under a tree. Standing upside-down on the branch was the real Naruto, getting ready to attack. He lunged down and attacked the other boy. He also turned into a log. The boys finally reappeared and were on opposite sides of the other, staring, waiting for an opening. Naruto finally took out his kunai knife, like Sasuke had his, and the two charged at eachother once again. This time, they each made several hits to the other. Some were cuts from the blade, and some were bruises from the back of it. Either way, no matter how hurt they were, both kept on fighting with vigor. Sakura finally turned to Kakashi, who was watching the fight closely and grabbed his sleeve.

"Sensei! You have to stop them right now! They'll get hurt!"  
"That's the idea, isn't it?"

"But…"

"You wanted Sasuke to beat up Naruto, I want to see if he even can."

"But by allowing them to do this is just… it's just cruel…"

"Exactly. They're beating eachother up just like you're beating yourself up. It's no different. You say that this is pointless, and it's the same with what you're doing. Now, Sakura.. lets make a bet. Who do you think will best the other?"

"Um… probably Sasuke. He's stronger than Naruto."

"Watch it… strength isn't everything. Just watch the fight. It may turn out differently than you think…"

Sakura didn't reply. She just looked back to the brawl. Both seemed to be equally matched, until Naruto showed signs of tiring. He almost slipped and Sasuke saw his opening and took action. Quickly, he went at Naruto and punched him square in the stomach. The air was forced out of the boy's lungs and the force of the blow threw him back. Sakura gasped as she saw Naruto drop to the ground. He struggled to get up as Sasuke quickly prepared a fire jutsu. Kakashi's eyes widened. If the jutsu were to hit Naruto full on, it would be disastrous, but he was too late to stop it. Sasuke cast the jutsu, and it raced towards his opponent. The blonde stood horrified, as he faced the incoming flames. A little-known fact- Naruto was afraid of fire…

Though he was afraid, his mind kept reeling. He thought of his goals, and repeated them again and again in his head, slowly willing his body to move. He swore he would become the greatest Hokage someday; that he would be respected, and admired, but also, that he would definitely not lose to Sasuke at anything! Just before the fire reached him, he ducked and rolled out of the way, amazing all with his swiftness and agility. Naruto was back on his feet and running at Sasuke so quickly, he barely had tome to grab hold of his own Kunai knife before Naruto was in front of him with his own kunai. There was a moment of stillness and silence, and that was when Sasuke noticed the pressure of Naruto's kunai knife on his neck. Both the boy's breaths came in short gasps as they stood frozen in place. Seeing as Sasuke wasn't moving at all, Naruto smirked in triumph.

"I got you, Sasuke! I've finally beaten you- believe it!"

"Heh. Not quite. Open your eyes, dobe."  
"Huh?"

It was then that Naruto noticed that Sasuke's kunai knife was firmly held against his stomach. Naruto was holding his breath and stayed perfectly still as Sasuke smirked in triumph that time.

"Better not move, or you'll lose something important, dobe!"

"Sasuke…"  
"That's enough."

Kakashi broke the two up and they put their weapons away. Then… Kakashi clapped his hands loudly and smiled at the both of them.

"It's a tie. Well done, both of you! It was a good match, and… very educational for some of us, I hope!"

He looked back at Sakura, who was frozen in shock. She could not believe her eyes as she then saw the two rivals shaking hands and almost congratulating eachother. When, she thought. When had things gotten so mixed up? Sasuke was supposed to be the best. Her Naruto was supposed to lose miserably in comparison to Sasuke. Wait! When had she begun to… refer to him as HER Naruto…? When had things gotten so mixed up!


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4:

After the match, Kakashi dismissed them and all four of them returned to the academy. Sakura and walking around thinking and waiting for lunch, as Kakashi led the boys to the locker room to patch their wounds. As suspected, Naruto had the most. After being bandaged, Sasuke began to redress as Kakashi finished bandaging Naruto, who groaned a bit from the pressure Kakashi was putting on his bruises.

"I am very proud of the both of you. You fought your hardest today. Good work."

"Sure."

"…"

"Naruto, you should be glad! You didn't lose to your rival in a match, and you certainly have come a long way."

"Yeah, but I didn't WIN, either. I wont stop until I win, for sure. I have to get better. Believe it."  
"…Don't be in too much of a hurry to grow up, Naruto. Wait patiently, and you may eventually get what you want out of life."

"Ha, truth is, I will never get what I really want."

"Hm?"

"Becoming Hokage is easy, but compared to that, finding… a companion, …that's harder…"  
"Naruto…"

"I may never find one of those…"

"Naruto, there is someone who…"

But Kakashi stopped himself, which made Naruto look back at him in curiosity. He wanted to tell Naruto everything about what Sakura had said, but it was not his job to reveal it. Kakashi was silent for a minute, but then he smiled and slapped the boy's back, hard, which made Naruto cry out.

"Well, you're done now! Get dressed and you can go home, boys"

Kakashi stood up, smiled again, and walked out. Naruto was doubled over in pain and Sasuke was staring at him, uncaring.

"OW…My back…!"

"Wuss. Dobe."

Outside the academy, two dark, young figures stared up at the building. They exchanged glances and smiled deviously- their mist-village headbands gleamed in the sun. They stealthily crept into the building just before Naruto and Sasuke left, unknowingly. Further inside, Sakura was, again, standing in front of Kakashi-sensei's office, talking quietly to herself while waiting for the man to return.

"Sensei is smart... Maybe I should just go and tell Naruto how I feel. I mean, it can't be THAT bad, right? It's just like what I've done to Sasuke, only… this is NOT Sasuke… Oh, man! Okay, I just have to think positively, and this will all turn out okay! And, besides, the worst thing he could do is say no, and if that happens, I can go back to Sasuke and pretend I never even HAD this silly little crush on Naruto! Yeah, that's right!"

Sakura started to laugh to herself. She felt more relieved, as if just standing in front of her wise sensei's office had helped to lift off a great weight from her shoulders. Truth was, the weight was still there, but it was moved aside, and it didn't bother her quite as much. She turned, ready to leave, for she no longer felt the need to speak with her sensei, with a new confidence. She then stopped dead as she sensed something, and then she saw something moving with great haste down the hallway to her left. She walked down the hall, not thinking much of it, but there was absolutely nothing there. Then, she saw it again in another hallway and moved to follow it, but the stern voice of her sensei stopped her movements. Kakashi stopped in front of her, looking around, almost frantically.

"Sensei! What is going on!"

"Two young ninja from the village of the mist had managed to get past the front entrance and I saw them entering the building. Have you seen them, Sakura?"

"I-I think I saw them heading towards the exit, just now!"

"Great, they're heading out into the village! Sakura, wait right there!"  
"I will, sensei!"

Sakura waited in that spot and slowly slipped into a defensive and frightened state, being all alone as she was. What was going on? What would happen next? Her heart began to pound faster and harder in her chest, as a bad feeling began for grow. But against the growing fear, a face appeared in her mind; one she wasn't expecting. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, Sakura, it'll be okay! Believe it!" Sakura, without realizing it, smiled and started nodding her head in agreement with the comforting voice in her mind. Slowly, she started to calm down. Her breath evened out and she was at peace again. However, it was only then that she noticed a high-pitched noise resonating around the academy, that she hadn't noticed before.

Walking down a quiet road in the village, Naruto and Sasuke conversed.

"I'm hungry!"

"You're ALWAYS hungry, dobe."

"Yeah, but after our hard training today, you've got to be hungry, too, huh, Sasuke?"

"…Yeah. Lets go eat."

"Cool! I know this great ramen stand!"

"Is that the only thing you eat?"  
"Yeah, mostly! Ramen makes a ninja strong!"

"Whatever."

As they walked near the ramen stand, a loud booming noise echoed through the village. The boys stopped dead in their tracks and were on their guard.

"What was that noise!"

"It sounded like… no, it can't be!"

Moments earlier, Kakashi had chased after, and apprehended the young ninja intruders in the woods just outside the front entrance, along with their rather weak master. He was tying up one of the boys as he decided to interrogate them.

"I don't know how you got into our village, but I assure you, you wont be leaving here for quite some time! We don't take kindly to intruders."

"Big deal. We'll get out eventually!"  
"I doubt it. You should be grateful that I didn't kill your lot on sight!"

"Ha. No way. That just means you're weak!"

Kakashi angrily tightened the boy's restraints.

"Ow!"

"Now, boy, enough playing around! I want you to tell me… exactly what you were doing in our ninja academy!"

"Heh… surely nothing you can fix now!"

"What do you mean?"

"You see, we planted a bomb somewhere…"

"A bomb!"

"You're so dumb! I feel sorry for the ninja placed under your care! If you had just let us go and tried to find it, you may have stood a chance! Too bad. Now you have to watch your beloved academy go up in flames… along with all the students inside!"

'No…! Sakura was still…'

"That bomb should go off right about…"

Kakashi's head shot up as the ground suddenly shook and a dark plume of smoke rose from his village.


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5: Drowning in Flames

The ninja academy was consumed in flames, and the smoke was everywhere. The firefighters worked on drowning the flames, as Iruka-sensei and other attempted to evacuate the academy. A lot of people were badly hurt, and, already, five persons were reported dead. Iruka wiped the sweat from his brow just as Sasuke and Naruto arrived. The boys froze and stared at the raging flames in disbelief and horror.

"Naruto! Sasuke! Stay back!"

"What happened! It's on fire!"

"We think a bomb went off inside."

"A bomb!"  
"Did you get everyone out?"  
"We think so, but we can't go in there now! The whole place is about to go down."

"Iruka!"

Iruka was called over to help someone, leaving the boys staring at the fire. Naruto looked at it and remembered how much he was afraid of what he was sawing. He was so terrified he could hardly move, but then he saw Sasuke to his left, picking up a bucket of water.

"Sasuke, it's a really big fire… one little bucket isn't going to do much! Believe it…"

"Dobe."

Sasuke threw a glare in Naruto's direction that said, 'you're-so-simple-minded' and took a breath before spilling the bucket over his head.

"Huh? Sasuke? What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going in there."  
"Huh! You're crazy!"

"Look around. Do you see Sakura here?"

"Uh…"

"That means…she's trapped inside! We have to go in and save her!"

This hit Naruto really hard, but as he looked up at the wildfire, he froze up, so to speak. Sasuke stared at him for a while in silence, before turning away.

"You can stay if you're afraid. I'll go and save Sakura, myself!"

That gave Naruto just enough of a push, and as Sasuke was about to leave him, Naruto grabbed his arm. Sasuke looked back. He was about to speak, until he saw the determined look on Naruto's face.

"So, you changed your mind?"  
"Yeah!"

"You want to be a hero, huh? Typical."

"No, it's not that. It's just…Sakura is…"

"Huh?"

Naruto choked on his words. His face was tinged a slight color of red and his hands shook. It was time. He could lose Sakura today, and he wouldn't have even told her…

"What is it?"

"It's just that… Sakura is really important to me! I want to go!"

"…Alright, get that bucket over there."

Naruto poured the bucket of water over his head, just as Sasuke did, and he followed the other's lead into the building. Iruka turned back, looking for the boys, and just barely caught sight of Naruto's bright orange jacket before disappearing into the burning building. He tried to run in after the boys, but was held back by another adult.

"Sasuke! Naruto!"

Inside, it had been like the boys had been locked inside of an oven. The air was thick and dark, and there was very little light anywhere, despite the oddity of the bright flames around them. The boys wandered unsteadily on the creaky floors, unable to use the walls to guild them along, for they were also on fire. Naruto learned this the hard way as he set his hand on the wall to support him from falling, resulting in a badly burned hand. Then, they heard a slight tapping noise and stopped at a long hallway with several closed doors.

"Where is it coming from?"

"This room, I think!"

Naruto reached for the doorknob, but Sasuke's hand reached out to stop him.

"Don't be an idiot! How many times do you have to get burned before you use your head?"

Naruto moved back as Sasuke kicked open the door. There was nothing there but a burning room. The tapping wasn't coming from that room.

"Argh! We'll never find her in all this!"

"Snap out of it! Just pick another door, dobe!"

"They separated, so they were each at a different part of the hall and started kicking open doors down the line. Sasuke was going quickly, but Naruto was trying to use another sense to discover which room the tapping came from. He finally made a choice and kicked at the door to what used to be the music room, but it didn't budge. He hopped around on one foot as Sasuke made his way over.

"Weakling."

Sasuke kicked the door next, but it didn't budge. Sasuke got smart and covered his mouth to block the building smoke as Naruto began to cough hoarsely. Sasuke almost reached out his hand to pat his teammate on the back, but withdrew his hand, not wanting to show concern.

"Hey Sasuke, maybe she isn't even in here!"

"S-she has to be!"

"Okay, then… for this to work, we have to be a team and hit it at the same time!"

The boys backed up and counted. On three, they both rammed the door, nearly knocking it off its hinges. Naruto stumbled and nearly fell on his face, but both brightened up at hearing a kind voice call to them.

"Guys! Y-you found me!"

The boys saw Sakura on the floor in the abandoned and ruined music room, one of her favorite places to be in, as it were. A long board had landed on her leg, trapping the poor girl in that spot on the floor. Naruto moved the board and Sasuke helped Sakura up, letting the girl lean heavily on him.

"Are you okay, Sakura?"

"I am now! I'm glad you came in here for me!"

"Sakura, where did your headband go?"

"Oh-no! I think I dropped it, somewhere!"

"Forget about it! Your life is far more important right now!"

"Okay…you're right, Sasuke!"

"Naruto, lets go!"

"Yeah!"

-Flashback-

When Naruto was eating ramen with Iruka-sensei before, he had become a ninja, the boy was eyeing the man's headband in awe.

"Say, can I try on your headband? C'mon, just this once?"

"Sorry, no. Only a ninja can wear one of these. You'll get one for yourself sometime or another, Naruto!"

Then, after Naruto had saved Iruka-sensei by learning and using the shadow-clone jutsu, the man had called him over to him, and presented Naruto with an official ninja headband of his own.

-Present-

'Earning a ninja headband was one of the things I wanted more than anything, because it was my first step to becoming someone special in life… I was so happy when I got mine! And I bet… Sakura would be really sad if she had lost hers!'

Naruto was filled with an inner fire that was stronger than the wild flames around him. He looked up at his teammates…no, his friends, who ran ahead of him, but then turned right around and ran back the other way, unknown to the others. He tried to find his way back to the music room, but the smoke was far thicker in the air and the flames had moved in since he had last been there moments earlier. The fire singed the tips of his spiky blonde hair and it irritated his already, badly burned hand. But he pressed on and finally made it back to the room where Sakura had been in before. He kicked around burnt and burning debris in search of the precious headband. He froze, however, at seeing how fragile and weak the floorboards under him were. The ceiling was almost ready to go, also. He was running out of time! At this point, he was tired and drained of strength, and his vision was blurred as his lungs took in excess amounts of toxic smoke. He had to lean on one of the desks to keep from toppling over. The fire of courage in him had nearly run out as he was about to give up hope, until he saw something. It was a glint off of metal and after taking a few steps more, he could clearly see the headband near a crack in the floor. It was nearly undamaged, too!

"H-ha ha ha… I got you, you stupid, tricky thing…!"

But then, a gasp escaped his lips. The ceiling just above the target had started to collapse. He leapt across the floor towards it, racing against the clock. His fingers were nearly touching it when, through his thoughts of fear, a sense of calm filled him up. Naruto embraces the calm and uttered a name as his eyes closed, a smile plastered onto his face.

"Sakura… I love you…"


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6: "Do you love me, too…?"

Just outside, Iruka heard the many crashing sounds coming from all over the school. The water wasn't helping to drown the flames almost at all. Iruka had a look of utter dread on his face as Kakashi finally arrived, also staring at the academy.

"No… this is not good at all!"

"Kakashi, I'm sorry! We still have students inside!"

Almost on cue, the two heard hoarse coughing as Sasuke came out of the fires supporting an injured Sakura. Kakashi and Iruka helped them away from the building. Kakashi was angry, but more than that, he was afraid for them and relieved that they had both gotten out alive.

"You two, that was irresponsible and dangerous! I would have expected a member of the Uchiha clan to know better…. But this was partly my fault, anyway…"

"S-sensei…"  
"I'm happy you both are safe and sound!"

"Eh? Both?"

They looked at Iruka, whose face fell and was pale at paper. His hands shook as he held Sasuke's shoulders and spoke in a weak voice.

"Sasuke? Where is Naruto?"

"Naruto?"

"I saw him go in with you! Where is he now!"

H-he was right behind us! Maybe he fell or got lost, or…"

"Oh my god…that means…"

"Naruto is still trapped in there?"

Kakashi immediately got up and ran back into the building, ignoring the calls of warning from the group. He rushed through the flames with great haste and used a copied wind jutsu to defend himself from the incoming flames, as his face mask helped to block the smoke.

"Naruto? Naruto, answer me!"

As he called, he walked cautiously, as to avoid stepping on weak floorboards. Then, his sensitive sense of smell caught the scent of blood and followed it to the music room and he called again.

"Naruto, are you in here!"

He moved slowly to a hole in the floor as a light moan caught his attention. He then spotted a blotch of bright orange in the darkness below. Kakashi jumped down and finally saw the condition the boy was in, and the damage done to his young body. There were several scratches on him, and the flames around him nipped at his face and hair. Parts of his jacket had already caught fire, and on top of all that, heavy ceiling boards had collapsed onto his back, pining him. Kakashi used the wind jutsu to blow away the flames and then, after moving the boards, he checked the boy's vitals.

"Naruto, can you hear me? Listen, you're going to be just fine! Hang in there…!"

Kakashi lifted the boy into his arms and rushed back through the fire. The group outside had nearly given up hope until a tall figure appeared in the doorway. Kakashi made it out, holding Naruto, and Iruka yelled out,

"Hurry! Get a doctor!"

The flames had finally been extinguished, but…

Kakashi knelt down by Sakura and Sasuke still holding the still, burnt boy in his lap. Sakura tried to contain her tears and gasps as she looked upon her broken and tattered teammate, but couldn't hold them back long. Sasuke reached out a hand to touch the boy's face, but stopped and pulled his hand away, his head dropping down. Kakashi saw this and slowly shook the boy in his arms, trying to smile.

"Naruto? You're safe now, kid. Nap time is over!"

"Naruto…? Please…"

"It's no use now… he's already…"

Kakashi opened the boy's coat and felt for a heartbeat as Sakura continued to call his name, so softly it could barely be heard. Alas, the boy didn't respond or even move. Sakura reached out and gently touched Naruto's cheek, as Sasuke was about to do. The boy was quickly losing his heat. The tears built up behind her eyes again, tried again to contain them. Her hand continued to move across the boy's face and them through the burnt strands of his hair.

"Naruto, you dummy… you really ARE a dobe…! You should have just left this to…to Sasuke…!"

"Sakura… I'm sorry for your loss…"

Kakashi moved to remove Naruto's headband, but Sakura snapped at him.

"Don't touch him! Just leave him alone…!"

Kakashi sighed as things went quiet for a while, but then the man made a slight noise at seeing something Naruto's hand. He carefully moved the boy's wrist over to reveal a blue headband wrapped securely and lovingly around his burnt and bloody hand. He untangled it and held it out to Sakura. She took it with shaky hands and this time, she let the tears roll freely down over her cheeks.

"You idiot… y-you went back for it… idiot… you idiot!"

Sakura finally broke down and leaned over Naruto's body as she hugged him.

"Naruto, you are so dumb! Why would you do this for me! You're such an idiot, and you died like an idiot!"

-Flashback #2-

"Upon this stone are the names of the true heroes of our village."

"Yeah! I just decided! That's going to be me! Believe it! I'll be a true hero!"

"These people were all K.I.A."

"Wow! That sounds so cool!"

"Naruto, K.I.A. means killed in action. They all died."

-Back to present-

Sakura continued to cry and Kakashi held onto Naruto's wrist more tightly. It was then that he felt something. A pulse. It was weak, but a pulse, none the less. Quickly and silently, he cast a healing jutsu as the group silently mourned (well, Sakura sure wasn't being silent!) Sakura's face was close to Naruto's face as she was about to whisper her silent secret, and only when at that distant did she see the slightest twitch in the boy's gentle features. She pulled her face way back as Naruto finally came to and weakly opened his eyes halfway. The first thing he was blurry figures over him, and as his eyes focussed, he saw a lovely face hovering over him, still in tears.

"S-Sakura… you're safe…? I'm glad… believe it…!"

"Naruto…"

"He's okay! We don't need an ambulance!"

Iruka shouted out with glee. She and Naruto shared a moment of silence as they smiled, and then Naruto weakly motioned to the headband.

"I got… your headband back for you…! Only ninja can wear them, you know…"

"Oh, Naruto, you…"

Out of nowhere, a great anger formed inside of Sakura, and she hit Naruto hard over the head. Naruto weakly grabbed at his head as Sakura stood up, still filled with rage.

"You are such an IDIOT, Naruto! You risked your life for absolutely no reason! I knew it from the start! You're going to die in a dumb way and you'll never be famous! Hokage, huh? HA!"

Instantly, Naruto was on his feet, ready to argue back. He seems to be back to normal, until a sudden wave of pain and dizziness hit him and he fell foreward into Sakura's arms, unconscious.

In the background, Iruka called back the ambulance.


	7. Chapter 7

Part 7: "I can say it now"

Outside of Naruto's hospital room, Kakashi-sensei stood with Sasuke and watched the boy through the window. He looked tired and was bandaged up a whole lot. Some parts of his hair had been cut shorter due to being burnt, and if the boy had been conscious enough strong enough, he, no doubt, would have complained about it. Sakura was the only one in the room with him, sitting by the boy's bed in a wheelchair and a cast on her leg.

"How are they, doctor?"

"Young Sakura received a broken ankle, and will require the use of her chair or crutches for at least three weeks. Naruto, on the other hand…"

"Is it bad?"  
"He received two broken ribs and an almost severe blow to the head, not including the cuts and burns. His appetite has also decreased, but it should return to normal sooner or later."

"How do you think will this experience will affect him?"

"Good question. It may not affect him at all. My thoughts on it are… that this has only proven to knock some sense into that boy."

"I see…"

Inside the bright, white room, both ninja were silent. Sakura was playing with her slightly burnt headband, and Naruto was barely awake enough to think. He was propped up in bed and staring out into space blankly. Occasionally, Sakura looked up from her lap to stare sadly at her teammate.

"Naruto? …Can you hear me?"

"Mm…"

"Can you understand me?"

"Kinda…"

Sakura looked to Naruto's untouched food.

"You need to eat, Naruto. You need it to heal and recover your strength. You can be up and ready to spar with Sasuke in no time at all, if you eat!"

"Don't wanna…"

"Just because it isn't ramen?"  
"Not hungry."

"Liar…"

There was more silence for a while, and this time, Sakura was just staring strait at Naruto. Slowly, the boy's expression changed to one of discomfort and he tried to squirm around. Most of his boy was secured down to the bed, aside from his head and right arm. The rest of him was either sore or burnt.

"What's the matter, Naruto? Are you in pain?"

"Yes…and no…"

"What? What hurts, Naruto?"

When he didn't answer, she rolled over to him and held his hand as Naruto began to squirm more. He whimpered slightly, and tears started to fall. Kakashi saw this and understood, and he had to restrain Sasuke as he tried to run in and help.

"Naruto! Please tell me what hurts! I want to help you!"

"M-my heart…"

"What?"

"My poor heart is aching… It's been aching for so long now…and it hasn't stopped even now!"

Sakura was in shock as she thought she could feel Naruto's heart breaking as she looked at his tearing face. It took her a moment to realize that it was her OWN heart that was breaking, then. She was staring at him in a confused way again, and Naruto almost couldn't bear the weight of her stare. Realization hit him then. He could never have what he has always wanted. He would die sad and alone, just like he almost had in that fire.

"P-please don't look at me like that, Sakura… My heart…it can't take it!"

Naruto moved his head aside, as the tears continued to spill over his red cheeks. Sakura was still staring at him, until that feeling came back, and a flush of pink appeared across her own face. For once, she felt a fear of those feelings swimming inside of her… is felt almost as painful as Naruto's broken body. Slowly, she lifted herself out of her wheelchair to sit on the edge of Naruto's bed. Then, she lightly touched his hand again. It was almost as warm as her face felt.

"N-Naruto… there is something I need to tell you…"

"I know, already… you want to tell me how much of an idiot I am. Well, I've already been told that a million times today… I just can't take it anymore…! I just can't, Sakura…! I just…"

"Naruto."

Sakura set her hand on the right side of Naruto's cheek and ran her fingers along the whisker-like scars. Naruto gasped. He could sense no anger or resentment in how she was touching him. Instead, there was a feeling reaching out to him; one he had never felt so strongly before. He finally turned his head to look Sakura in the eyes Her face was calm.

"S-Sakura…"

"Shh… you dobe."

Sakura set her hand lightly on Naruto's chest as she pulled his face near hers, bringing their lips softly together. Watching, still, Kakashi sighed in a happy way, whereas Sasuke was almost certain he was going to be sick to his stomach. The feathery kiss ended shortly, and Sakura pulled her face away from Naruto's innocently blushing one.

"Now… go on and eat your food. I promise I'll sneak in some ramen for you later."

Every woman knows… the best way to a man's heat is through his stomach…


End file.
